Ontology and AI - Revision history

Phismith: /* Week 10: Debates on ontology engineering: Part 2 */

2026-04-30T20:34:07Z

Week 10: Debates on ontology engineering: Part 2

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	:'''[https://youtu.be/UzHTEMxgKEc Video]		:'''[https://youtu.be/UzHTEMxgKEc Video]
	:'''[https://buffalo.box.com/v/~~Lecture10Slides~~ Slides]		:'''[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Debate2-Slides Slides]
	:[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Debate2-Transcription Transcription]		:[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Debate2-Transcription Transcription]

Phismith at 19:07, 27 April 2026

2026-04-27T19:07:42Z

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	Ontology (also called 'metaphysics') is a subfield of philosophy which aims to establich the kinds of entities in the world -- including both the material and the mental world -- and the relations between them. Applied ontology applies philosophical ideas and methods to support those who are collecting, using, comparing, refining, evaluating or (today above all) generating data.		Ontology (also called 'metaphysics') is a subfield of philosophy which aims to establich the kinds of entities in the world -- including both the material and the mental world -- and the relations between them. Applied ontology applies philosophical ideas and methods to support those who are collecting, using, comparing, refining, evaluating or (today above all) generating data.

	Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the subfield of Computer Science devoted to developing programs that enable computers to display behavior that can (broadly) be characterized as 'intelligent'. On the strong version, the ultimate goal of AI is to create what is called ''General Artificial Intelligence'' (AGI), by which is meant an artificial system that is as intelligent as a human being. ~~ChatGT~~ and other large language models (LLMs) attempt to generate data from other data, where the latter are obtained for example by crawling the internet.		Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the subfield of Computer Science devoted to developing programs that enable computers to display behavior that can (broadly) be characterized as 'intelligent'. On the strong version, the ultimate goal of AI is to create what is called ''General Artificial Intelligence'' (AGI), by which is meant an artificial system that is as intelligent as a human being. ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) attempt to generate data from other data, where the latter are obtained for example by crawling the internet.

	'''Required reading'''		'''Required reading'''

Phismith at 15:32, 24 March 2026

2026-03-24T15:32:41Z

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	Option 2 is in multiple steps:		Option 2 is in multiple steps:
	:Step 1. Create a draft in your own words of an essay that is about half as long as your target ~~length~~ length. This should be a substantive draft, but it can contain for example rough notes pointing to further lines of development. Not only this initial draft, but also all further steps in the list below, should rely on study by you of the relevant literature. Both your draft and your final essay should accordingly contain lists of references.		:Step 1. Create a draft in your own words of an essay that is about half as long as your target length. This should be a substantive draft, but it can contain for example rough notes pointing to further lines of development. Not only this initial draft, but also all further steps in the list below, should rely on study by you of the relevant literature. Both your draft and your final essay should accordingly contain lists of references.
	:Step 2. Submit this draft to me at phismith@buffalo.edu by the middle of the semester.		:Step 2. Submit this draft to me at phismith@buffalo.edu by the middle of the semester.
	:Step 3. You create a new prompt using your draft as an attachment with an instruction such as: ''show me how I can improve the attached''. This will start a potentially long process of improvements in your essay incorporating further contributions from you together with assistance from the LLM. You should attempt to use prompts to manipulate the style of the LLM output in a direction of a style appropriate to serious academic research, with references, quotations, definitions, as needed. Most importantly: you should be aware that LLMs often make errors (called 'hallucinations'), for example inventing references in the literature which do not in fact exist.		:Step 3. You create a new prompt using your draft as an attachment with an instruction such as: ''show me how I can improve the attached''. This will start a potentially long process of improvements in your essay incorporating further contributions from you together with assistance from the LLM. You should attempt to use prompts to manipulate the style of the LLM output in a direction of a style appropriate to serious academic research, with references, quotations, definitions, as needed. Most importantly: you should be aware that LLMs often make errors (called 'hallucinations'), for example inventing references in the literature which do not in fact exist.

Phismith at 15:40, 13 March 2026

2026-03-13T15:40:40Z

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	:Step 2. Submit this draft to me at phismith@buffalo.edu by the middle of the semester.		:Step 2. Submit this draft to me at phismith@buffalo.edu by the middle of the semester.
	:Step 3. You create a new prompt using your draft as an attachment with an instruction such as: ''show me how I can improve the attached''. This will start a potentially long process of improvements in your essay incorporating further contributions from you together with assistance from the LLM. You should attempt to use prompts to manipulate the style of the LLM output in a direction of a style appropriate to serious academic research, with references, quotations, definitions, as needed. Most importantly: you should be aware that LLMs often make errors (called 'hallucinations'), for example inventing references in the literature which do not in fact exist.		:Step 3. You create a new prompt using your draft as an attachment with an instruction such as: ''show me how I can improve the attached''. This will start a potentially long process of improvements in your essay incorporating further contributions from you together with assistance from the LLM. You should attempt to use prompts to manipulate the style of the LLM output in a direction of a style appropriate to serious academic research, with references, quotations, definitions, as needed. Most importantly: you should be aware that LLMs often make errors (called 'hallucinations'), for example inventing references in the literature which do not in fact exist.
	:Step 4. the LLM has been keeping track of everything you tell it to do since you started the newchat. When you think you might be ready to submit, use the LLM save function to generate a URI linking to all the interactions thus far – effectively a log of your process. This log, together with your initial and final essay will ~~for~~ part of what will be evaluated for your grade.		:Step 4. the LLM has been keeping track of everything you tell it to do since you started the newchat. When you think you might be ready to submit, use the LLM save function to generate a URI linking to all the interactions thus far – effectively a log of your process. This log, together with your initial and final essay will form part of what will be evaluated for your grade.
	:Step 5. When you truly are ready to submit, press save for one last time and take a note of the link; send me this link, together with your completed essay, and with any notes on features of the log you which to point out -- for example requests that I ignore specific chains of prompts because they proved to be dead ends.		:Step 5. When you truly are ready to submit, press save for one last time and take a note of the link; send me this link, together with your completed essay, and with any notes on features of the log you which to point out -- for example requests that I ignore specific chains of prompts because they proved to be dead ends.
	Grades under Option 2 will be determined on the basis of (a) originality of the initial draft, (b) creativity of your prompts, (c) quality of final essay.		Grades under Option 2 will be determined on the basis of (a) originality of the initial draft, (b) creativity of your prompts, (c) quality of final essay.

Phismith: /* Week 2: Ontology and the History of AI */

2026-02-16T22:02:41Z

Week 2: Ontology and the History of AI

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	From Good Old Fashioned (Logical, Symbolic) AI to ChatGPT		From Good Old Fashioned (Logical, Symbolic) AI to ChatGPT

	:'''[https://~~buffalo~~.~~box.com/v~~/~~Ontology-history~~ Video]'''''		:'''[https://youtu.be/B4L27eavNT4 Video]'''''
	:'''[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Slides-Lecture-2 Slides]'''		:'''[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Slides-Lecture-2 Slides]'''

Phismith: /* Week 2: Ontology and the History of AI */

2026-02-16T21:02:55Z

Week 2: Ontology and the History of AI

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	==Week 2: Ontology and the History of AI==		==Week 2: Ontology and the History of AI==

	~~Part 1:~~ From Good Old Fashioned (Logical, Symbolic) AI to ChatGPT		From Good Old Fashioned (Logical, Symbolic) AI to ChatGPT

	:'''[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Ontology-history Video]'''''		:'''[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Ontology-history Video]'''''

Phismith: /* April 11: Deadline for submission to BS of starting drafts for your essays */

2026-02-12T23:58:12Z

April 11: Deadline for submission to BS of starting drafts for your essays

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	:[https://quantumzeitgeist.com/haghighi-stanford-demonstrates-ontological-bias-in-chatgpt-image-generation-via-root-depiction/ Ontological Assumptions in AI Outputs]		:[https://quantumzeitgeist.com/haghighi-stanford-demonstrates-ontological-bias-in-chatgpt-image-generation-via-root-depiction/ Ontological Assumptions in AI Outputs]

	==April 11: Deadline for submission to BS of starting drafts for your essays==		==April 1: Deadline for submission to BS of starting drafts for your essays==

	PhD candidates:		PhD candidates:

Phismith at 14:55, 7 February 2026

2026-02-07T14:55:15Z

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	'''Required reading'''		'''Required reading'''

	:''[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Why-machines-1e Why Machines Will Never Rule the World: Artificial Intelligence without Fear]'' (Routledge 2022; revised and enlarged, [https://search.lib.buffalo.edu/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9939883749704803&context=L&vid=01SUNY_BUF:everything&lang=en&search_scope=UBSUNY&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=EverythingUBSUNY&query=any,contains,jobst%20landgrebe ~~2nd edition,~~ available online from UB Library] ~~published in 2025)~~.		:''[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Why-machines-1e Why Machines Will Never Rule the World: Artificial Intelligence without Fear]'' (Routledge 2022; revised and enlarged second edition, published in 2025), [https://search.lib.buffalo.edu/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9939883749704803&context=L&vid=01SUNY_BUF:everything&lang=en&search_scope=UBSUNY&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=EverythingUBSUNY&query=any,contains,jobst%20landgrebe available online from UB Library] .

	See also offer [https://www.routledge.com/Why-Machines-Will-Never-Rule-the-World-Artificial-Intelligence-without-Fear/Landgrebe-Smith/p/book/9781032941400?srsltid=AfmBOoor0YJakTv88G0LUq0tWvBh3YS604AK0Gfr8Bd0YYgsgq1U6J7y here]		See also offer [https://www.routledge.com/Why-Machines-Will-Never-Rule-the-World-Artificial-Intelligence-without-Fear/Landgrebe-Smith/p/book/9781032941400?srsltid=AfmBOoor0YJakTv88G0LUq0tWvBh3YS604AK0Gfr8Bd0YYgsgq1U6J7y here]

Phismith at 14:53, 7 February 2026

2026-02-07T14:53:24Z

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	'''Required reading'''		'''Required reading'''

	:''[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Why-machines-1e Why Machines Will Never Rule the World: Artificial Intelligence without Fear]'' (Routledge 2022; revised and enlarged [https://buffalo.~~box.com~~/v/~~Second-edition~~ 2nd edition] published in 2025).		:''[https://buffalo.box.com/v/Why-machines-1e Why Machines Will Never Rule the World: Artificial Intelligence without Fear]'' (Routledge 2022; revised and enlarged, [https://search.lib.buffalo.edu/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9939883749704803&context=L&vid=01SUNY_BUF:everything&lang=en&search_scope=UBSUNY&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=EverythingUBSUNY&query=any,contains,jobst%20landgrebe 2nd edition, available online from UB Library] published in 2025).

	See also offer [https://www.routledge.com/Why-Machines-Will-Never-Rule-the-World-Artificial-Intelligence-without-Fear/Landgrebe-Smith/p/book/9781032941400?srsltid=AfmBOoor0YJakTv88G0LUq0tWvBh3YS604AK0Gfr8Bd0YYgsgq1U6J7y here]		See also offer [https://www.routledge.com/Why-Machines-Will-Never-Rule-the-World-Artificial-Intelligence-without-Fear/Landgrebe-Smith/p/book/9781032941400?srsltid=AfmBOoor0YJakTv88G0LUq0tWvBh3YS604AK0Gfr8Bd0YYgsgq1U6J7y here]

Phismith: /* Background Material */

2026-01-20T14:07:45Z

Background Material

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	Note that this class is '''synchronous'''		Note that this class is '''synchronous'''

	==Background Material==		==Background Material on AI==

	'''An Introduction to AI for Philosophers'''		'''An Introduction to AI for Philosophers'''